Poolside
by lydiamaartin
Summary: Word to the wise, never lose a bet against three of the four Horsemen. Especially when Henley comes up with ideas like skinny-dipping in their pool as a punishment. Daniel had no idea what he signed up for. - HenleyDaniel


**disclaimer:** i don't own anything you recongize.

**notes:** set in the distant future after the movie. also contains nudity, you've been forewarned.

* * *

"This is totally not fair!" Daniel was protesting rather loudly when Henley made her way outside to the porch where the male members of the Four Horsemen were gathered in what was apparently a very heated argument. Well, heated on Daniel's part – Merritt and Jack seemed more amused than anything, she noticed as she slid in unnoticed behind them.

"We had a bet, and you lost," said Merritt matter-of-factly, patting Daniel on the shoulder and earning himself a scowl for his effort. "Now we just have to decide the punishment."

"I absolutely would have gotten that girl's number if you jackasses hadn't felt the need to run interference," Daniel snapped. "You _cheated_, so my loss is null and void."

"Maybe she just wasn't that into you," Henley piped up, drawing their attention over to where she had hopped up onto the railing. She smiled innocently at Daniel. "What were the terms of the bet?"

"We didn't have enough time to hammer them out in the club," Jack informed her since Daniel was studiously ignoring her. "What do you think he should have to do?"

"I was thinking, wear one of Henley's dresses to our next show," Merritt suggested. Daniel promptly threw a pillow from the porch swing at him. "Seems reasonable enough."

"I've got an idea," Henley said, grinning at the three of them. "We barely ever use our pool. What about skinny-dipping?"

Daniel stared at her, aghast, as Merritt and Jack contemplated the merits of her idea. Henley giggled – it wasn't that he was self-conscious, because he definitely wasn't, but he probably disliked the idea on principle just because she had come up with it.

"You're a horrible person," he informed her as Merritt and Jack grinned wickedly at him. "A horrible, horrible person."

"I think it's brilliant," said Merritt smoothly, gesturing towards the steps that led off the porch and to their pool. "Shall we?"

"No cameras," Daniel said, lifting up his hand so he could count down on his fingers. "No smart phones, no camera phones at all. No video cameras, no nothing."

"We're _magicians_," Jack snickered. "But fine. Just jump in." Daniel stopped at the edge of the pool to send him a dirty look. Henley had to cover her mouth to hide her giggle.

"I'm serious about the cameras," he said forebodingly, stalking over to the deep end of the pool at Merritt's gesturing. "Also, if you're going to do that stupid prank where you steal my clothes, at least one of you has to stay behind."

"Why?" Merritt asked quizzically as Daniel started unbuttoning his shirt. Henley hopped up on top of one of the little tables to enjoy the show.

"One of you geniuses has to put up with my whining," Daniel said matter-of-factly. The other three Horsemen exchanged uneasy glances. "It's only fair."

"I don't think you get to make demands when you've lost the bet," Henley mused, biting her lip at the sound of Daniel's zipper opening. His shirt had already been discarded at the side of the pool.

"I think it's reasonable," Jack said easily, though she didn't miss the way he eyed _her_. If those two idiots thought they could just abandon her at the mercy of an irritated and naked J. Daniel Atlas, give or take the J, they had another thing coming.

Although the longer Henley thought about it, the more attractive an option it seemed.

"Fine, whatever," Merritt said dismissively, waving his hand. "Drop the boxers, Atlas."

Jack leaned over to Henley as Daniel hesitated over the waistband of his boxers – they were black, because he was obnoxiously boring at times, she figured – and stage-whispered, "Are you going to turn around?"

Henley rolled her eyes and pushed him lightly on the head. "Sweetheart, I've seen naked men before," she informed him brightly. "Haven't you?"

Jack made a face and drew back. Daniel shot her a look that she couldn't quite decipher before he pulled his boxers down. Henley certainly wasn't one to ogle – it was rather crass, in her opinion, but she was definitely one to admire, despite Merritt's purposefully obnoxious laughter. She was pretty sure he was doing it just to irritate Daniel, who flung his clothes at them before jumping into the pool.

The splash was big enough to reach the three of them, though Henley had only a moment to react before the two boys were gathering up his clothes with the clear intention of running inside. Jack hesitated by her table before they made a break for it.

"Are you sure you'll be okay dealing with him?" he asked uncertainly. The two of them knew, better than Merritt who preferred to solve disagreements with a drink and then head off to bed, how difficult Daniel could be when he was annoyed.

"Oh, trust me, I am beyond used to Danny's temper tantrums," Henley said airily, patting him on the arm. "Go hide those somewhere good. Oh, and bring me a towel before you go to sleep – I'd rather not be stuck out here with him all night."

Daniel resurfaced on the other end of the pool. Jack shot her a grin and an affirmative nod before racing inside after Merritt.

"Idiots," Daniel grumbled, wading over to her side of the pool. His hair was deliciously wet and sticky, Henley noticed as she slid off the table and sauntered towards the edge of the pool. "As if this doesn't happen in every cheesy rom-com trying to be edgy."

"Our lives are not a cheesy rom-com," she pointed out, sitting down and taking off her heels so her bare legs could dangle in the pool. "How was your swim?"

Daniel propped his arms on the edge of the pool next to her and looked up at her thoughtfully. "Not as bad as I expected," he admitted, making her raise her eyebrows in surprise. "The water's actually great. You should try it."

Henley laughed, nudging him in the side with her foot under the water. "My dress is blue; it would become transparent," she pointed out, which, in hindsight, might not have been the smartest thing to say.

Daniel grinned cheekily at her. "All the more reason." She splashed his face with water in response. "Hey, I'm just saying – _you_ got to look at me naked!"

Henley shot him a look. "Wouldn't be the first time," she said meaningfully, and the statement was rewarded with a red flush creeping up his neck. It was rather impressive that he could blush even in relatively cool waters.

"Shut up," he said. "That was – that wasn't – it was just – "

Seeing Daniel flustered was one of life's simple joys, Henley thought. He rarely ever was, but bringing up their history was a surefire way to get him on the defensive – and when it was her on the offense, he really didn't stand a chance.

"Go ahead," she urged sweetly, patting his head, which earned her a scowl when he shook her hand off. "A summer fling, right?"

"No," he said hotly, then paused, presumably unable to think of anything else to counter her with. Just as she had started to enjoy her miniature victory, he decided it would be a great move to grab her legs and draw her into the water.

"Danny!" she shrieked as soon as she surfaced from the wave of refreshingly cold water that her submersion had caused. "What the hell?"

He leaned against the wall of the pool, facing her with a smirk on his face. "I told you – it's only fair," he said, almost overbearingly smug. Henley huffed and smacked her hands down onto the water, creating the biggest splash she possibly could. He was already wet, so it didn't do much, but he returned the favor handily.

"You _suck_," she told him in no uncertain terms, raising her hands to splash him again. Before she could get very far in the movement, he had reached out to grab her hands, pulling her into his chest. He was careful not to get too close that they were pressed together, but the water from his hair was dripping down onto the top of her head and she could smell his usual minty-fresh scent cloaked beneath the chlorine.

"So, when is Jack getting back with that towel?" he asked her in a low voice as she struggled to regain control of her breathing and not lose eye contact at the same time.

"How would you know if he is?" she demanded, and he laughed, letting go of her hands, although he didn't move further away and neither did she.

"I'm a magician, Henley," he said cheerfully, wiggling his fingers at her. "And you wouldn't have stayed without making sure you'd get back-up eventually." Sometimes, she thought he might know her a bit too well. He certainly knew how to make her breathless with just one look.

"Well, funny story," she said once she had taken a deep breath to compose herself, "he's here now."

Daniel's head jerked up in time to see Jack wandering over with several towels in his hands, already having changed into his pajamas. With a yawn, he tossed the towels onto a nearby chair and waved at the two of them from a distance.

"Night, guys," he said in a tone so sleepy that Henley had to wonder if Merritt might have somehow drugged him. Or, more likely, tonight's theatrics had caught up with him at last – the boy had the energy to fake his death twice in a day if he had to, but he did eventually crash. Usually.

"Night," Daniel said brightly to Jack's retreating back before sending Henley a curious look. "So, who's getting out first?"

"My dress is _see-through_."

"I'm _naked_."

He had a pretty good point. With a huff, she waded past him, took care to shove his head so that it took him a minute to recover, and quickly clambered out so she could grab one of the towels and dry herself off. When she looked back at the pool, Daniel was just climbing out. He stopped half-way out of the water and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Interested in the show, Reeves?" he smirked. Henley rolled her eyes and turned around, wrapping a towel around her back as she did so.

"I already got one," she shot at him, standing very still as he wandered over nonchalantly to grab a towel of his own. "In case you forgot already."

"Forgot how you look when you're attracted to me?" Daniel grinned at her. "How could I ever forget that?"

Her jaw dropped. "I am not – oh my _God_, you're such an _asshole_," she laughed, smacking him on the shoulder hard enough for him to sway back and forth, though clearly not hard enough to hurt, judging by the way he was still smiling at her.

"Sorry, was I reading too much into the whole _Oh, yes, we used to sleep together_ conversation while you were staring at me naked?" he asked wryly, capturing her hand in his own before she could smack him again.

Henley tilted her head, staring at him thoughtfully. He was still smiling at her in a way that made butterflies bubble up inside her, no matter how often she had tried to train herself out of that reaction in the intervening years between working with him.

He wasn't moving to kiss her, of course, because that would be far too forward for J. Daniel Atlas, master magician, but his hand was soft and warm around hers and the way he looked at her made her dizzy, and before she could properly think things through, she found herself leaning up.

"Wait," he whispered right before their lips touched, their faces tantalizingly close. "Henley, I – I don't want… I don't want this to be another – another _summer fling_."

She had never seen him look quite so honest as he did then. Smiling, she murmured, "Then don't let it be," and with that decided, she closed the distance between their lips.

* * *

**a/n:** yo guess who's hopefully going to go see this movie again this weekend? if you've read this far please leave me a review to let me know what you thought! i would really appreciate some feedback :)

and **DON'T** favorite without reviewing, please and thank you.


End file.
